YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A part of Pennsylvania history passed away over the weekend.
Kathryn L. Fourhman, the Commonwealth's first female coroner, died on Nov. 4 at the age of 93.
According to her obituary, she was born in Williamsport on Aug. 25, 1930, and raised by her grandparents. After graduating Williamsport High School, Fourhman went on to nursing school at York College. She had six children.
Fourhman was deeply involved in the York community. Besides serving as the county coroner from 1973-1998, she also played piano for many years at Bethany York and had a hand in many of the area's safety initiatives and philanthropic pursuits, especially education.
As coroner, she worked with over 11,000 families as they mourned loved ones.
Current York County Coroner Pamela Gay shared her thoughts on Fourhman's passing:
In 2014, I had the distinct honor of meeting and having some great conversation with former York County Coroner Kathryn Fourhman when I presented at Windy Hill Senior Center regarding falls prevention. I remember thinking how witty and full of energy she was (then in her eighties). . . I thanked her then for her years of service to our county and think even now of the trail she blazed, making it possible for women like me to consider the male-dominated world of Death investigation. Still it is amazing to think that she was the first female coroner in the state, and now there are many more female Coroners and Deputy Coroners throughout PA. We owe that to Kathryn. She will always be remembered. Our paths crossed briefly again in 2015. I asked her some more about what it was like to run for office back then. Her campaign, she told me at the time, emphasized that she would be “Fulltime with time and compassion for families.” And she spent 25 years as Coroner and even more years as a Deputy Coroner doing that . . . She was at the forefront. A big thanks to her for her years of dedication and taking the time to educate so many of us in the prevention of so much tragedy. She will be missed.